The Artist
by AnonymousLlama
Summary: Painting has always been my escape. It was a positive outlet for the negative emotions threatening to consume me. But, that wasn't the only benefit. I've never been particularly good at expressing how I feel, so instead I let my art speak for me. It would, and still does, speak much louder than any words ever could. Butler Louis/OC.


**~12 Years Earlier~**

A small dark haired girl takes slow steady steps forward. Her reflection is distorted in the glossy black paint of the awaiting vehicle. She keeps her eyes straight, looking forward, only focused on her current destination: the car at the end of the driveway. Where she'd go after that, she decided, could be worried about when the situation arose.

Several ebony curls had come loose from her braid, falling around her face in a chaotic manner. Everything about her appearance was askew. From head to toe. Her t shirt is creased and wrinkled. Dry tracks were tears had once flowed line her innocent features. Her eyes puffy and rimmed red.

But she couldn't care less how she looked or who saw her in the disastrous state that she was currently sporting.

She was too focused on preventing the fresh wave of tears that threatened to spill over. They burned at the back of her eyes, and she tried to focus on anything but the events of the last 48 hours. Anything that could distract her from breaking down yet again.

Her reflection in the black shiny paint is now significantly larger than before. Her small olive colored hand reaches forward, intent on grasping the door handle; however, a somewhat larger hand beats her to it.

She looks up. The much paler hand is attached to a cheerful red head. The woman, Adrianna they had called her, smiles down at the younger girl. The latter had yet to figure out if the woman's cheerful demeanor was just who she was or simply out of pity.

She desperately hoped that it was the former. She'd had enough pity to last her a lifetime.

How many times had she heard the word 'sorry' in the last 2 days? She wasn't sure for she'd lost track a long time ago. But there was one thing that she was certain of, if one more person apologized she would surely snap.

They were all so eager to express their condolences, so eager to apologize. What exactly were they apologizing for? She hadn't the slightest idea. But, that infuriating word would slip past their lips time and time again. 'Sorry.'

Well, sorry couldn't change what had happened. It couldn't make her feel better. And it definitely couldn't bring her mother back.

It was a stupid, meaningless word that people tossed around so freely. They were only saying it because it was socially acceptable. If not for the desire to keep up appearances, she was convinced that they'd say nothing. It infuriated her to no end.

Wrapping her fingers around the handle, Adrianna pulls on the door and it swings open.

Without hesitation, the little girl steps into the car. Sitting onto the plush leather, she slides across the seat until she is practically leaning against the opposite window.

Adrianna isn't far behind.

The younger of the duo stares out of the window beside her, immediately focusing her attention on anything and everything mundane.

"Isn't it exciting?" Adrianna begins to babble again, and the girl has to suppress the urge to scream. Why wouldn't this woman shut up? "You'll be living in a castle. Just like a princess!"

The girl was beginning to think the 20 something woman was more excited than she was. She continues to speak, but the little girl quickly tunes her out. The chipper voice is now vague background noise and instead she focuses on the passing scenery. Allowing herself to get lost in the diverse shades of green that blur together in a beautiful blend. They were moving by so fast there was no way to tell where one tree ended and the next began.

* * *

As she steps out of the car, her eyes widen in awe.

A large mansion wrapped in ivory stucco stood before her. It was more magnificent than anything she'd ever seen before.

Splayed on top of the off white walls, were dozens of shiny windows that sparkled under the midday sun. The deep red arches and domes gave the mansion a zesty feel that was a perfect portrayal of its home country.

_Villa Altaria_.

Her new home.

Her stomach lurched at the thought. The building looming overhead served as a grave reminder that she was all alone now.

Pushing those negative thoughts aside, she followed Adrianna into the villa.

The inside was even more grand. The various colors melted together in an array of earthy tones. Deep browns and fiery reds were scattered around the large room. The only way she could think to describe it was that it was just 'warm' and 'homey'.

At the sound of her name, the young girl spun quickly around on her toes. At the edge of the room, in a doorway, stood a familiar brunette woman.

"Aunt Sophia," the girl whispers, her first words in several hours. She rushes to meet the woman, flinging herself into awaiting arms.

* * *

A bright eyed brunette boy practically skips down the large hallway, an easygoing lopsided grin graces his juvenile features. As per usual, he was skirting his royal duties. Duties consisting of his studies which he had thus far been able to avoid along with his tutor and butler, who happened to be one in the same person.

_The hunt_, as he'd grown accustomed to calling his little game with the butler, must be in his favor today.

He spots an unfamiliar younger girl further down the hall, breaking his train of thought. His grin is replaced with a look of pure curiosity for a fleeting moment before the smile is right back.

"Hey!" he calls out to her, and has to bite back a chuckle as she jumps at the sudden voice.

"Y-Yes?" she stutters out, afraid that she'd upset someone.

"I've never seen you before!" his grin widens to an almost impossible size as he approaches her. "You're new here?"

She nods in response, and he stops two feet away from her.

"Well, I'm Roberto!" he holds out his hand, palm up, to her.

"A-Alessia," the girl whispers, briefly glancing at his hand.

"'Alessia'? That's pretty," he replies, staring down at the dark haired girl. His eyebrows scrunch together as he tries to remember where he'd heard that name. "Wait. You're Miss Sophia's niece?"

She nods again. Realizing that she isn't going to shake his hand, Roberto lets it fall gracelessly to his side. Completely unaffected by her refusal of his handshake, he continues to grin like an idiot.

To say he was excited would have been an understatement. There was now another kid in the castle. He almost couldn't contain his excitement; a prospective friend. Someone he could let loose with; someone who wouldn't lecture him on his obligations as a prince.

That last thought reminded him of the current situation: avoiding Al.

The grin that crosses his face in that moment resembled that of the Cheshire cat. A look way too conniving for a boy of only thirteen.

Roberto was so very eager to include the girl in avoiding the butler which, much to the prince's delight, he'd practically made into an art.

"So, Allie….I can call you Allie, right?"

She nods.

"Okay, Allie," he grins at the way the name falls so easily off of his tongue. "We're gonna play a game. It's kind of like hide and seek."

"Um," she begins, hesitantly. "What do I have to do?"

"We're going to be hiding from someone named Alberto. The goal is to make sure he doesn't see us."

"Why?"

The boy snorts, a better question would have been why _not_ to hide from the older boy. The list would definitely be a lot shorter. "Because he's a slave driver."

The girl's eyes comically widen, "'S-Slave driver'?"

He chuckles at her shock, "Not literally. He's just really bossy. Always telling me what to do. And the worst part is that he's only 17! He's not even an adult yet!"

Just then, the click of shoes on tile echoed down the corridor. The fast pace signaled that the person was quickly approaching.

Roberto's eyes widen, "Oh, no! That's him," he grasps her hand in his own, and begins to pull her down the hallway. "Come on, before he catches me!" the boy's once loud voice had reduced itself to a whisper.

Alessia complies, allowing herself to be drug behind the curtain of a large window by the strange older boy.

Hiding behind said curtain, Roberto looks down at her. He places his finger over his lips, signaling her to remain silent.

The now really close footsteps suddenly halt. Whomever they belonged to was really close.

The girl risked a peak from behind the curtain, her eyes immediately landing on a boy several years older than Roberto. He stood in the center of the hallway, rubbing his temples in irritation. His grey suit was neat and orderly despite having just run through the villa searching for the missing prince.

With a loud sigh, he continued his trek down the hallway.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Alessia spoke up, "He doesn't look like a slave driver."

"That's because he can't find with me right now," Roberto tells her. "If he finds me, he'll start ordering me around; and then you'd see. But, the point of our game is to _not_ get caught; so let's go find somewhere else to hide before he comes back."

She nods before following after the strange boy. Maybe living here wouldn't be so bad, after all.


End file.
